So as i'm sure all 5 of you know by now, I have started my own business with a friend of mine and my mother. My portion is more of the DIY and furniture making stuff. There is something about a girl and power tools.....amirite??? My mom has the random merchandise to get us through the day to day hustle. Micki is the artistic talent. That girl can paint her way out of a paper bag.
With the above-mentioned being said, this weekend we decided to give the vendor booth method a try. We sank faster than a snitch with a brick tied to his foot. We did take some positivity away with us, however. We learned a lot.
I have compiled a list of some helpful pointers to help you with your next craft fair! Considering we each made a profit of $4.00 after this weekend, I wouldn't say I'm an expert just yet. But we are three educated, talented, sexy, independent, fearless women. We got this shit. So feel free to watch me try desperately not to fail at this every step of the way ;)
For Craft shows and Flea Markets:
- Have your boxes or bins clearly labeled before you even think about loading them in your tuck or car. Over time i've realized the best three categories for me are: Holiday merch, Regular Merch, and eBay. Occasionally I will toss in a "display" or "yard sale" box. But anyone who walks in my storage room can easily see where everything is. There is nothing worse than showing up to a festival or show with the exact wrong merchandise, or no display racks. Keep the side labels rather simple, and on the top flap explain exactly whats inside.
- Know where the hell you are going- and for fuck's sake, go scope it out the night before if you can. That little hint would've saved me hours of needless packing and unpacking of vehicles.
- Familiarize yourself with the size of your vehicle. You don't want to have a display table that takes up half of your car. It will make for a short show. I suggest finding one or two smaller tables that fold flat, or easily break down. A table cloth can go a long way. Try to find a boring table cloth, you don't want a loud pattern overpowering your merch!
- Make sure everything is clearly labeled and priced. Don't let your merch look like it was priced by your kid. If someone has no idea what the item is, chances are they won't ask and will move on. At my shop we tend to get overwhelmed with product on occasion, so we have to price items at the same time. All of the girls here have made a habit to color code everything we price. It's easily traced to who priced what item.
- Keep track of every item you display. Make sure to keep track of what items sell also. Date everything, it is in your best interest to get into this habit early. Don't freak out if something gets stolen. Be flattered your product is that in demand, and learn from it.
- Use the freaking internet people! The internet is a fantastic resource for marketing, as well as knowledge bombs everywhere you look. Most of my ideas came from those hamsters running on wheels in that glowey box. Hit up Craigslist, Facebook, whatever medium you can, and advertise the crap out of your event! Make sure to check with event coordinators and make sure this is okay, and request a copy of their advertisement guidelines if they have them.
- Sunscreen is your friend.
Yard Sale Tips:
- Read all of the above. Get used to it, because most, if not all of the above-listed tips will be helpful for a bitchin' yard sale too.
- Make sure you have PLENTY of signs. I tell people to expect that 2/3 of your signs will be gone within 2 hours. Plan accordingly :)
- Set up your goodies so they are easy to look at, and that your yard or garage looks appealing to passers by. So many people will just give it a quick glance and just drive by. Make your sale look interesting! Here is a picture of how we set ours up, we try to make it colorful and fun!
If you have any more you would like to add, please feel free to sound off below and let me know! I could always use new ideas and tips! Thank you for reading! Until next time :)
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